


Live. Die. Repeat.

by sweetrosei



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Disability, Eruri Week, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Physical Disability, Temporary Character Death, Time Loop, Time Manipulation, Violence, eruri - Freeform, repeated character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-03-05 14:00:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3122810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetrosei/pseuds/sweetrosei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Titans attack on mass and break through the walls. Erwin rushes in to save Levi from the Beast Titan's fatal blow and loses. He wakes up the morning before to find he has the chance to redo the day. Can he manage to use this extra time to find a way to save humanity and keep the people around him alive? Edge of Tomorrow AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first two chapters were also submitted for Eruri week 2014 on tumblr.

Warmth. Light. Comfort. Erwin made a happy sound as he shifted slightly, pulling the warm man in his arms a little closer. Levi adjusted easily, used to this by now. Erwin slept much longer than Levi's few hours, so he'd long ago perfected the art of reading or working in bed while the still sleeping Erwin cuddled up to him. If he felt like he couldn't lay there any longer, he usually got up and worked out in the room. Levi would only leave the room to go shower quickly or grab some food before returning. He was always there when Erwin woke up. Erwin didn't often complain about waking up to a half (or fully) naked Levi in his arms or exercising in front of him.

These little moments of bliss helped keep them both going. Little moments of heaven that reminded them that everything was worth it. Erwin was dreading the day where he'd wake up and know he'd never see Levi waiting for him again.

The war against the Titans was still raging but things were getting better with the humans since the monarchy had been overthrown. Erwin was back in charge of Survey and saving humanity from titans, while the military police were keeping order among the people, under the command of someone new who had the wellbeing of the people at heart. Links between survey and the garrison had strengthened too and they sometimes shared training sessions to make sure the garrison soldiers didn't get out of practice.

They hadn't seen any titans by the wall for several days now and it was making Erwin antsy. While it may be a welcome break for some, he didn't trust it. He was planning an expedition beyond the wall in the next few days; he was just finishing off the details of the plan first. Of course, he wouldn't be going thanks to his last encounter with a titan, but Levi would be.

Once Erwin was up and fed, he and Levi spent half the day finalising the plan and the other half going through it with everyone involved. They would leave tomorrow morning and aim to return that afternoon.

After dinner, Erwin and Levi retired to Erwin's room. Levi had his own room but he barely used it and no one questioned it. Either they hadn't noticed, they didn't care, or they knew better than to comment on it. They tried to keep tomorrow's mission out of their minds as they got into bed. It was hard for everyone to sleep before a mission, with the anxiety building up in them, so they worked it off the best way they knew: sex.

They spent the rest of the night curled up together in the dark, arms and legs tangled, and comfortable and cozy, until they both drifted off to sleep.

~

When Erwin woke the next morning, it wasn't snuggled up to Levi or to find him keeping busy elsewhere in the room; it was to Levi shaking him by the shoulders and shouting.

"Wake up! Get up! They're attacking!" The alarm in Levi's eyes and voice washed away the rest of Erwin's sleepiness and he sat up fast.

"What? Who?" Had a group of humans come after them again? Or-

"The titans! There's dozens of them! They're all heading straight for the wall!" Levi pulled away to put on his 3DMG. Erwin swung his legs out of bed and set to work dressing as fast as he could, leaving the room once his trousers were on and heading straight for the wall, buttoning up his shirt and shoving on his jacket with a bit of Levi's assistance as they went. He noticed Levi had Erwin's 3DMG with him. They both knew Erwin wasn't going to be as good in a fight as he used to be, but it'd certainly be better than the titans invading and him having nothing to defend himself or escape with.

Erwin was already formulating multiple plans to deal with whatever he found when he reached the top of the wall, but nothing would prepare him for what he really found. Levi had been wrong when he'd said there were dozens. In the time it took Levi to get the news to Erwin, more had appeared. There were _hundreds_.

They were lined up outside the wall like an army. It was more than unnerving to see them behaving like obedient soldiers and not the chaotic killing machines they usually were. Erwin's bad feeling about their recent lack of activity had come true. The Beast Titan had been planning something.

Erwin could see the Beast Titan at the back, looking every bit the commander in control of his forces. Erwin turned to his own forces to give them their orders. Every member of the survey corps and wall garrison was either present and awaiting orders or on their way.

"We can't let them get inside the city." He shouted. He ordered half the garrison to stay inside the wall and take down any titans that got inside, while everyone else was to go over the wall and fight to their last breath. Humanity depended on them stopping the titans getting inside. They were the last defense.

The soldiers looked terrified but determined, as people should do when they knew there was a very high chance they wouldn't make it through this battle but had every reason to fight anyway. A light touch on Erwin's right shoulder, after he'd finished giving orders, made him turn and he locked eyes with Levi.

"You can't fight" he said, looking up at Erwin. "Take this but stay on the wall." he handed over Erwin's gear. "Organise us, control us, but don't join us. You know you won't make it." Levi's voice was strong, despite the terrible truth behind his words. With the amount of titans around, there was a good chance that even humanity's strongest wasn't going to make it through this. This might really be the end for humanity.

Erwin stood still, staring at Levi for a moment before nodding. He wanted to be down there fighting with them, but he didn't stand a chance as he was. He was still learning to cope with some every day things with one arm, let alone fighting. The soldiers needed a leader right now. He looked back out to the titans and looked directly at the beast. He didn't know if it was just strange timing or if the beast was waiting for him, but Erwin watched the titan's mouth move and the next moment the swarm of titans was moving. The swarm parted and seconds later the colossal titan appeared. Everyone knew what was coming next.

Erwin gave the order and the soldiers rushed in at once. Survey and garrison members took down every titan they could and Erwin forced himself not to think about the death toll he'd have to record if he survived this. He watched helplessly as the colossal titan moved forward, swatting away those who tried to stop him like they were nothing, and aimed his kick at the wall once more. Erwin warned those behind the wall to be prepared. They knew what would be coming after the kick landed.

Erwin watched the fight, seeing titan's go down slowly as more humans died around them, crushed into the dirt or ripped apart. They weren't even bothering to half of eat them, just get them out of the way. He tried to look for anything that might help them win. It was obvious the titans were trying to get through the wall and inside but maybe there was something more. He knew his forces had to get rid of the Beast and the titan shifters as soon as possible, but that was far easier said than done. They had human intelligence and that made them even more deadly.

Erwin froze as he spotted a familiar shape spinning up the Beast's right arm. The air around him froze and he couldn't breathe. Something felt horribly wrong and he found himself at the edge of the wall before he could even think about what he was doing. He watched as the Beast twisted round, throwing Levi off balance and causing him to swing out on his wires. Erwin felt like the ground was falling out beneath him as he saw the Beast's arm come out and swing at Levi. Levi managed to dodge the arm but couldn't have seen the second one coming. His body jerked in the air suddenly, swinging out of direction, and Erwin knew the Beast had grabbed his wires.

"No" Erwin breathed out. He'd known what was coming the moment he'd seen Levi on the Beast's arm. It was all so wrong. He watched as the Beast's other arm came round and wrapped around Levi's body. The titan lifted him up and Erwin kept his eyes on him as he shot through the air. Sometime between the titan's arm moving to grab Levi, and him holding Levi up to his face, Erwin had leapt off the wall and was rushing towards them. He blanked out everything as he passed by, ignoring the roar of titans and screams of his fellow soldiers, with a singular focus on stopping his nightmare coming true. Of course he cared about all his soldiers, but his body couldn't let this happen without doing _something_.

Somehow he managed to make it through the mass of fighting and to the Beast. He had no conscious recollection of how he'd done it, he hadn't even properly used 3Dmg since he'd lost his arm, but humans could do extraordinary things when they needed to.

Erwin rushed up the titan's leg and managed to dodge an arm that was flung at him in an attempt to swat him away. He could hear Levi's voice screaming something but he couldn't make it out. He had a feeling his name was in it somewhere but all he cared about right now was stopping the Beast. He reached the Beast's shoulder the same time as Mikasa reached the Beast's front. He vaguely saw her scarf as she rushed towards the hand holding Levi. The titan's spare arm was soon grabbed by Eren, in titan form, leaving Erwin with the Beast's exposed neck. It all happened so fast the Beast had no time to react. He swung both arms, but Mikasa severed the nerves on the arm she had and the weight and force of Eren slowed down the other. Erwin dug his blade in deep. If he'd had both hands he could've had it done easily but it was much harder with only one hand and blade. He hissed as the Beast's steaming blood sprayed out at him, burning his skin deep enough that it started mixing with his own. He started to feel dizzy but he didn't give up and desperately tried to slice again.

It wasn't enough.

The Beast's arm, with Eren attached, was still moving, and it swung to collide with Erwin, knocking him off the Titan and to the ground. He landed with a sickening crunch and knew immediately he'd broken at least one thing. He watched in horror and helplessness as Mikasa tried to cut Levi free but couldn't get it done in time. The Beast threw itself down, landing intentionally on the arm holding Levi. Mikasa managed to jump free at the very last moment but Levi... he hadn't stood a chance.

Erwin felt like his soul was being ripped out of him as he screamed for Levi. He started shaking uncontrollably as his body panicked, not knowing how to cope with this. The loss was too much, there was no way he could handle it. Knowing it would happen one day could never have made it any less painful. He stared at the blood soaked ground as the Beast got up, now with use back in both arms and turned towards him. He placed one hand over the nape of his neck as Mikasa recovered and tried again to take him down, but the beast ignored her and looked down at Erwin.

He couldn't move. The loss of Levi was too much for him to do anything, and even if he had been thinking straight his leg was broken. There was no way he could move in time. He couldn't see Eren moving towards him or Mikasa trying to stop the Titan. The only thing he was looking at was what was left of Levi. He didn't blink as a shadow passed over him and grew bigger as its cause got closer. He didn't hear Mikasa's shout or Eren's roar.

Levi was his last thought as the titan's foot came down on him.


	2. Chapter 2

Erwin woke with a shout. The body next to him flinched in surprise and he heard papers fall to the floor. He could still feel the loss of Levi ripping through him.

"Erwin? You're okay. It's just a nightmare." Levi was there, holding his shoulders and trying to soothe him. Had it really just been a nightmare? Dreams never felt like dreams at the time, but this felt different. Then again, there was no other explanation for him waking up here.

Erwin reached and pulled Levi to him, holding him close and tight. "I lost you." he whispered, voice full of pain and eyes getting moist as he closed them and buried his face in Levi's shoulder.

Levi's arms wrapped around his shoulders and he moved to straddle Erwin's lap, getting as close to him as possible to comfort him. "I'm still here" he said softly. Promises that he won't lose him or that he'll always be there weren't options for them and never would be, all they could do was focus on the present and their next step.

Erwin let a few tears flow as they continued to hold each other. Nightmares of losing each other were fairly regular and they'd learnt that the best way to recover from them was just to hold each other in silence, taking in the physical comfort and knowing that they were both here right now. Erwin felt Levi kiss the top of his head and then start stroking his hair as he began to sing softly. Levi's voice was a bit of an unintentional secret in survey. He didn't specifically hide it, but he only sang in certain situations. The last time he had sung for someone other than Erwin had been at Petra's request for her birthday present. He sang for Erwin often though, knowing it helped him relax when he was stressed and exhausted. Erwin relaxed now as Levi's voice and warmth soothed him. It was just a nightmare. They had more time. They were both still here.

"I need to learn to fight again." Erwin finally spoke. Levi pulled back and gave him a concerned look.

"Erwin..." He knew Levi could understand Erwin's desire to fight, but he also knew some part of him wanted him to stay out of harms way. Or at least out of harms direct path. Nowhere was truly safe while there were titans and humans still out to get them. Erwin could understand this part of Levi too, since he felt the same. If the situation was reversed, he'd probably be trying to order Levi to stay inside the wall, perhaps training the soldiers and assisting with planning but not going out on expeditions. Unfortunately for Levi, he didn't have the advantage of being able to give Erwin orders.

Erwin just shook his head at Levi's concern. "I'll start soon." he promised. Even if it had only been a dream, it was enough of a sign that he needed to speed up his recovery and learn to defend himself and his people again.

Levi looked like he wanted to argue for a bit longer before sighing. "We need a commander, not another piece of cannon fodder."

"and that's exactly why I need to adapt and learn to fight again, Levi." Erwin countered, patting Levi's leg and shifting slightly, indicating that he wanted to get out of bed. Levi gave him a disapproving look but got up to let him out anyway.

They went to breakfast and got their usual and everything seemed normal again. It wasn't until they were going through the plans for the next expedition outside the wall and Levi started saying the exact same things he had said in the nightmare, that Erwin started to feel something was off. At first he thought maybe he just knew Levi so well that he'd been able to imagine him perfectly, but when Hanji interrupted with the same interruption she'd made in the nightmare, Erwin started to feel sick. He was getting the same feeling he'd had when he'd spotted Levi climbing up the Beast's arm.

"Levi..." Levi looked up from the papers he was reading over at the sound of his name, a curious expression on his face.

How was he supposed to explain what he was feeling? He knew Levi wouldn't immediately dismiss it and would hear him out, but he wasn't sure how to get started. "Does any of this seem familiar to you?" he asked after a while.

"The plan?" Levi looked a little confused. The plan involved several elements from previous plans and no doubt Levi was thinking of those.

"No... this whole situation. You and me in here, Hanji coming in. This _exact_ situation."

"You mean like déjà vu?" Levi's brow was furrowed, concentrating on understanding Erwin.

"Maybe. I dreamt this whole situation, even down to the exact things you and Hanji said."

"Are you sure? Isn't that what déjà vu is supposed to be like?" Erwin could tell Levi wasn’t writing off Erwin's words but thinking up the most logical response.

"Perhaps. If I did dream this though..." There were serious consequences for what would happen tomorrow.

"What did you dream happens next? Did you dream this part of the conversation?" Levi asked, putting his notes down so he could focus wholly on Erwin.

"No. This part's new, but everything up until then was the same. Levi-" he paused, not sure if he should continue. "This was the same dream I lost you in."

Levi's face drained of emotion for a moment before he recovered. "Is it the expedition tomorrow? Maybe your subconscious worked out a flaw in the plan and is trying to tell you to change it."

That suggestion made a lot of sense and Erwin looked down at the plans in front of him. Maybe that was right. That, combined with his fear of losing Levi and concern over the lack of titans could potentially explain the nightmare. Erwin nodded a little. "That makes sense. Thank you Levi."

Levi nodded then looked back at the plans, looking professional again, but he did keep sneaking looks at Erwin to make sure he was okay as they continued the rest of the plan and made a few adjustments to parts that Erwin wasn't as sure about as before.

When they were in bed again that night, Erwin still hadn't been able to shake the feeling. A lot of things had been different from the dream since that conversation in his office, but there were a lot of things that were the same too. As he tangled his fingers in Levi's hair while they lay together, Erwin thought more about tomorrow. Whether the dream was real or not, Levi was going beyond the wall in the morning. Erwin still felt sick and like he'd start shaking again every time the image of Levi dying in that dream flashed through his mind. He didn't know how he'd get through the day tomorrow while Levi was out if he felt like this already. This was different to all the other times he'd sent Levi out on dangerous missions.

"Levi... if..." he hesitated for a moment then locked eyes with Levi as he looked up. "If the titans attack the wall tomorrow, promise me you won't climb up the Beast's right arm."

Levi looked confused for a moment before he nodded. "I'll do my best." It wasn't a complete promise, but it was as close as they ever gave when it was a promise relating to their survival.

"Thank you" Erwin said softly and leant in for a soft kiss.

"I love you" Levi murmured against his lips.

"I love you too" Erwin replied, pulling Levi on top of him and then in for a deeper kiss.

 ~ 

Erwin woke to Levi shaking his shoulders and shouting at him. "Erwin! Wake up! You were right! They're coming!"

Erwin sat upright as his whole body filled with dread. _Please no._

"Titans?" Erwin asked for clarification as he got out of bed, hurrying to put his clothes on.

"Heading towards the wall. There's dozens of them"

"There's hundreds" Erwin corrected. He was feeling a little dizzy already. If he'd been right about the titan attack then... was he right about Levi and the Beast? Levi looked horrified and swore at the mention of hundreds but kept going. "Levi, remember what I said, don't climb up the Beast's right arm. Don't go alone either."

"I'll try" was the rushed reply.

They were heading towards the wall now, ready to rally the troops and send them out. Erwin pulled Levi aside for a moment before they reached the top and kissed him hard. "Don't you dare die on me" he ordered. Levi seemed a little surprised by Erwin's extra concern but gave him another quick kiss before walking away to find his squad.

Erwin gave the same speech and orders as before, but this time he didn't wait for the titans to start moving. He sent his people in and gave Mikasa's group the task of trying to take down Bertolt and Reiner before they could destroy the wall if possible. If they couldn't do that then they were to go after the one controlling the titans; the Beast Titan.

Erwin watched from the wall, as he had before, but was ready to dive in at any moment. He watched the whole battle but his eyes kept flicking back to Levi. They hadn't been able to take down Bertolt before he had broken the wall and now him and Reiner were inside.

Erwin watched as Levi and the others headed for the Beast. Eren tried to grapple with it while Mikasa and Levi went for the nape. He couldn't see behind Eren and the Beast, but he knew the attack had failed when Eren was thrown backwards. Erwin lurched forward, heading for the Beast once more. He couldn't let it happen again.

He didn't move fast enough.

Erwin watched in horror as he saw Levi swing out and then jerk in the air. The Beast had caught him again. Mikasa was there, aiming for the nape but got blocked by the Beast's other hand. Erwin arrived just in time to see the splash of blood as the Beast's hand closed tight around Levi, crushing Erwin's hope.

Erwin froze again. He'd failed. He knew what was coming and he still failed. He didn't bother moving as another titan's leg came down, swooping into his side and launching him into the air. Erwin landed with a loud body-shattering thud and woke up next to Levi, frozen still in the warmth of their bed sheets.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is updated a little from when I first posted it, after input from my fantastic beta.

Erwin made a strangled noise as he woke up but didn’t move, still numb from what had happened.

Levi turned to him with concern written on his face. "You okay? Nightmare?"  

Erwin slowly turned blank eyes on Levi for a moment before sitting up and pulling him to him, wrapping his arm around his back. "What date is it?" 

Levi let Erwin pull him close but Erwin heard the uncertainty in Levi's voice as he replied that it was the sixth. It was the same day. The day before the attack. The first of the two days he was now living for the third time. 

"Erwin…" Levi pulled back enough to look him in the eyes, face full of concern. 

"Levi," Erwin hesitated. He wanted to tell Levi what was going on. He'd taken it fairly well last time, even if they had settled on an alternate conclusion. Hopefully this time they would get it right. "Something strange is happening with the titans." 

Levi sat up more, fully alert and ready. "What is it? You think you know what they're up to?" 

"This is the third time I've woken up on the sixth of December." Erwin answered bluntly. Levi frowned but said nothing. "The titans attack tomorrow, hundreds of them. We fight the beast and we lose. Then we wake up here again. Do you remember?" 

Levi shook his head slightly and continued frowning. "You mean you dreamt it?" 

"No, I thought it was just a nightmare the second time but then everything happened again. Levi, I've done this day, today and tomorrow, twice before." 

Levi looked like he wasn’t sure what to think or say and kept a slight frown on his face. "Okay, so, what happens next?"  

Levi was testing the idea. That made sense. "I'm not sure. The last two times we spent today planning our expedition for tomorrow, but there's no point in doing that when it won’t happen." How was he supposed to prove it if he didn't want to repeat the same pointless things though?  

Levi moved an arm behind his back. "What gesture am I making?"  

Erwin didn’t resist a little smile at that. "Something obscene no doubt but I can't say what for sure. This is the first time you've done that." 

Levi brought his hand back around, holding up two fingers, before shrugging. "Okay. So things aren't exactly the same, which means it might not turn out the same. We should talk to Hanji." 

Erwin's face softened as he looked at Levi, eyes full of warmth. 

"What?" Levi asked, looking unsure at Erwin's sudden loving expression. 

"You believe me." Erwin answered. He'd just told Levi something that was almost unbelievable but Levi had trusted him anyway.  

"Of course I do. Don't make me say all that 'I'll follow you anywhere, I trust you with my everything' shit again. Come on, Hanji's bound to have some ideas." Levi got out of bed and pulled Erwin with him. They dressed quickly and headed towards where Hanji should be. When they found her they pulled her aside and asked to speak to her in private. They ended up in Hanji's lab with the door locked. 

"What is it?" She asked, eyes shining with curiosity at being pulled away for a private conversation with the two of them.  

"I'm repeating the same day." Erwin explained as Levi stood beside him in support. 

"Repeating? How so?" Hanji asked, looking even more interested.  

"This is the third time I've done today, the sixth."  

Hanji blinked at Erwin and then looked at Levi, who just nodded. "He says the titans launch a huge attack on us tomorrow. It's worth exploring even if you don't fully believe him." 

Hanji's eyes widened slightly before she nodded. "Of course. I never said I didn't believe it though. But I ought to check; you're feeling perfectly well other than this? No fever or head injuries?" 

Erwin shook his head. "I'm fine." he replied as Hanji started doing a few basic medical checks to make sure nothing was glaringly wrong.

"Okay. You’re fine. Good. We'd all be idiots if we didn't at least check that. Now then..." she started, sitting down and grabbing a clipboard and some new paper. Levi and Erwin sat down too when she did. "Do you have any idea why this may be happening to you? Did you see anything strange near you or have anything unusual happen to you?"  

"No. We fought. I died. I woke up here again."  

"How did you die?" She asked immediately. There was no need for subtlety between them. "If it's the last thing you remember maybe something happened there." 

Erwin tried to think of any links between the two things. He was aware that Levi had gone still next to him. Erwin hadn't mentioned the part about dying until now. "It was different both times. First time I got crushed by the Beast, second time I..." he tried to remember. "…got kicked." Levi had gone even more tense as Erwin spoke, and Erwin reached out to place his hand over Levi's. 

"Was the second time the Beast too? We know little about him." Hanji asked. 

"No. I was next to him but it wasn't his foot." 

"Hmmm... is there anything else? Think backwards from there until you find the first similarity." Hanji suggested, thinking about this logically.  

Erwin already knew what the next similarity was. He'd frozen both times because of what happened to Levi. 

"Why the hell were you in the field?" Levi interrupted. The question was quiet but full of anger. 

Erwin turned his head and looked at Levi. "I needed to be." he answered calmly. Levi's anger didn't surprise him and he was sure there was a lot of hurt in there too. 

"No, we need you as our commander, not cannon fodder." Levi countered, staring Erwin down. 

Erwin blinked as Levi said the same words he'd told him before. "You've said that before. Last time I lived tomorrow, the seventh. When the titans attacked." 

"And you didn't fucking listen to me?!" Levi wasn't quiet now. 

"I did." Erwin replied, still remaining calm. "I stayed on the wall to give orders but... you needed me." 

"What? There's no way I'd call you in. You can't slice necks like that." Levi looked appalled by the suggestion that he'd call Erwin into almost certain death.  

Erwin hesitated for a second before continuing. "I watched you die." The rage left Levi's face. Even Hanji was silent and still. She wasn't writing any of this down. "Both times. I saw it coming and I rushed in but I got there too late." 

Levi's eyes widened slightly. He understood. They both had nightmares of watching the other die and not being able to do anything about it. Levi closed both hands around Erwin's and squeezed gently.

"I'm sorry," he said softly before his face hardened again, "but if it happens again, let it happen. You need to survive and lead everyone. I'm supposed to be expendable."  

"Levi-" Erwin started but Levi cut him off. 

"Don't. We've had this conversation before. I'm still one of your pawns and I'm happy to die defending humanity. Don't rush in next time." 

"Then don't find the Beast. I'll stay on the wall if you stay away from it." Erwin argued. 

"I can't promise that." Levi would fight wherever he was needed. 

Erwin was about to continue the argument when Hanji cleared her throat loudly. "Perhaps we could use this time to come up with a new plan to win the battle and hopefully neither of you have to die?" They both looked to her. 

"Were there any other strange titans around?" She continued. "Ones we might not have seen before? I see no reason why there couldn't be a titan that could control time or people. We're constantly learning new things about them and we already know Eren can control other titans." 

Erwin nodded, glad Hanji was taking this seriously. She had even toned down her usual excitement about new titan discoveries, although hearing about two of your friends dying tended to put a damper on a fun situation.  

"I didn't see any others. Just the Beast and the shifters." he answered.  

Hanji paused for a while before continuing. "The Beast would be the obvious place to start. But that doesn't explain why the day would restart when you died. Are you sure it's not you?" 

"I haven't died before this started but if I did have the power to reset the day I would definitely have used it before now." Erwin replied.  

"Maybe you don't have conscious control. It might only kick in when you die. Or it could be the titans." She looked at her clipboard for a while. "So they're attacking tomorrow? Try to look for other titans or other strange things." 

Hanji liked Levi's idea of the hidden hand gesture and came up with a password instead. She hoped if the day reset then Erwin could use the password to get her to believe that they'd already had this conversation and not get stuck repeating the same things.  

When it came time for Erwin's originally planned briefing of the next expedition, he instead told everyone the expedition was cancelled and they had reason to believe there would be a large attack around 5am after the sun had risen.  

The troops were to be up and ready on the wall to launch a counterattack by 5am. Two squads had orders to focus on the Colossal and Armoured Titans. They had no hope of stopping them before they shifted, since they'd shift the moment they saw anyone leaving the wall, but perhaps they could at least slow them down. Another two squads had orders to take down the Beast. Levi and Erwin were both stubborn but came to the compromise that Levi would stay away from the Beast as much as possible but if he ended up near it with a chance to kill it, he would take it.  

~ 

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy. The wall broke only slightly later than it had the previous two times, and the two squads sent after the Beast Titan were destroyed within minutes. Erwin tried to keep his eyes on the battle as well as scanning the titans and surrounding area for anything unusual.  

When it reached the time he'd previously seen Levi fighting the Beast Titan, he couldn't help his eyes being drawn that way and felt his chest constrict as he saw the familiar spin of Levi rushing at the Beast.  

"No." It was going to happen again. Erwin watched the Beast as he stayed on the wall, trying to fight through the heartbreak he already felt in his chest. The Beast dropped Levi's lifeless body to the ground and walked on through the fight, taking down anyone who tried to stop him on the way. It was moving towards the wall. Erwin dug his nails into his palm and grit his teeth as he forced himself to keep watching. He was shaking again, with pain and anger, but he needed to learn what the titans were planning. The Beast stopped near the wall and started killing the soldiers trying to stop titans going through the gap. It was fighting the soldiers so the regular titans could get inside the city.  

Erwin stepped off the wall, using his 3DMG to control his fall. He had to do  _something_  to try and stop the Beast. When he was in range of the others, he ordered them to take down the Beast Titan. Half way down the wall, someone was flung in his direction. He didn't have the same balance and control of the gear that he used to and couldn't dodge in time. The body knocked him spinning sideways and his wire disconnected, sending him into a freefall. There was no chance of recovering in time and stopping himself from hitting the ground too hard. He'd already lost Levi and half of the legion anyway. He'd try again when the day reset. And if it didn't reset? He wouldn't be around to regret it. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the wonderful comments so far! Also, many thanks to my fantastic beta.  
> This is a bit of a short chapter but there won't be a long wait until the next chapter's released.

Erwin woke with a start and immediately sat up. His gaze quickly found Levi reading next to him and he pushed Levi's book out of the way to lean in for an emotional kiss. Seeing Levi die was killing him inside but the joy he felt at seeing him still alive made his emotions a confusing mixture of pain, love, elation, and desperation.

Levi seemed confused by the sudden display of affection and it took him a moment before he returned the kiss. He wrapped his arms around Erwin and pulled him more on top of him.

"Morning." Levi said when they broke apart. "Good dream?" he asked, probably guessing Erwin had been having an intimate dream about him.

Erwin just leant in for another kiss before sitting upright. "I need to tell you something."

He started explaining about the day resetting without hesitation. When Levi moved his hand behind his back, Erwin held up two fingers in answer to the question Levi didn't even have to ask. Levi had believed him from the start again and suggested they go and see Hanji.

When they found Hanji, Erwin explained again. "Last time we had this conversation you came up with a password to prove that we've done this before. Think of one, then I'll tell you what it is."

Hanji looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded. "Okay, got one."

"Cher." Erwin said and watched her eyes widen. When she’d first set the password, Erwin hadn’t been surprised that she’d chosen an unusual name.

"Wow. This must be really strange for you. How far did we get before? Do we know what's causing it?" Hanji asked, as she sat down and got ready to note down anything important, accepting Erwin’s situation without doubt.

"No." Erwin shook his head. "But we thought it might be related to the Beast."

"Then we need to go after it." Levi cut in.

"No." Erwin turned on him, his voice stern. "You're not to go anywhere near the Beast Titan. Listen this time. You don't go anywhere near it, no matter what. That's an order."

Levi looked confused and a little angry. "What?"

"Wait, wait." Hanji interrupted. "If the titan is resetting the day when you die, why do we want to stop it? Shouldn't we be using this to our advantage? We can learn the titan's plan and work out exactly how to counter it. You can try different things and if it doesn't work, just reset the day."

"Hanji, you want him to commit suicide every time a plan goes wrong?" Levi looked angrier.

"Yes. It makes sense doesn’t it? An enemy that knows the future cannot lose. If the titans have had that all along it explains why humanity hasn't been able to beat them yet. Now we can turn it back on them. We could stop their invasion."

"But won't the Beast just reset the day if the titans start losing?" Levi interrupted. "And what about the Female Titan? They didn't stop us taking her."

"Maybe they didn't have this power then. Or maybe they don't need her anymore. I think it’s worth a shot though. We won't know unless we try. We've got to treat this like an experiment. Try different things, see what changes, try something else." Hanji continued, looking determined and abit too excited.

Levi still looked disapproving but didn't say anything. He would never _like_ a plan that involved lots of people, including Erwin, dying but he knew sacrifices were necessary in this world. Hanji and Erwin knew this too. ~~~~

"It could save lives in the long run. If this works, we could stop the invasion. We could save so many lives." Hanji's point seemed to hit home with Levi and he nodded. They both knew how deeply Levi cared for the lives of everyone around him and would do anything to save as many as possible.

"I'll try it." Erwin spoke, for the first time since Hanji had interrupted. "If it could help us defeat the titans, I'll try anything."

Levi still didn't completely approve, especially of the part where Erwin had to die every day, but he respected Erwin's decision.

Next, Erwin explained what he'd seen before the last reset, how the titans had seemed mostly focused on just getting inside the walls and how the Beast Titan assisted them. It was a straightforward strategy and their sheer number made it effective. Erwin needed to work out a way to stop them, no matter how many resets it took.

Long after they’d left Hanji, Levi continued to stick close by Erwin. Both of them took comfort in each other’s presence and it was clear that Levi still wasn’t okay with the plan even though he knew it was necessary.

"Tell me. Promise me you'll tell me every day. I can help you." Levi started, once they'd returned to their room.

"I know. I will." Erwin wrapped his arm around Levi and pulled him close. He planned on telling Levi regardless, mostly because of the Beast Titan but also for his much needed support. He planned on telling Hanji as well so they could go over new developments, even though everything would be new to her after each reset.

Levi leant up, standing on his toes a little, and Erwin dipped his head down for a warm kiss. Erwin stroked his hand down Levi's back to soothe him. "I know you can't stop thinking about the worst side of this, but did I mention that I wake up with you in my arms every reset? I may go through hell, but it quickly fades when I wake up with you warm and next to me."

Levi pulled him in for another kiss as his reply. Erwin guessed Levi was trying to keep his mind off all the mental images he had about Erwin dying at the hands of titans, or worse, at his own hands. Erwin wasn't keen on committing suicide every time the plan went wrong, but he would always give everything he could to win the fight against the titans.

Levi had been stone-faced and stiff earlier when he'd pointed out to Erwin that it was easy to get access to the hunting guns in the storerooms. He hadn't said why he was bringing up this information but Erwin knew. Levi had started saying "If you need help I-" but Erwin had cut him off. He would never ask Levi to do that. It was hell watching Levi die so many times. He would never ask Levi to go through that, even when he knew Levi wouldn't remember it after the day reset.

Erwin decided to take their minds off everything as he guided Levi towards the bed, keeping him distracted with kisses along the way. He wanted Levi beneath him, around him, on top of him, inside him. He wanted to feel Levi close to him and forget everything else for a few moments. He needed to be with the man he loved.

 


	5. Chapter 5

_Deafening screams, blood in his vision, lack of sensation. Erwin was struggling to tell what was going on. He was moving forward faster than he ever had but he didn't feel in control of it. He didn't feel like he was falling. He couldn't feel anything at all. The landscape was rushing closer at an alarming speed until it suddenly stopped and everything was different. He could see from a different angle now; he was watching the battle from afar. There were branches on both sides of his vision, as if he were peering through a group of trees to watch the fight. He was far too high though for that to be true. He had to be at least 15 metres up, maybe even higher. Then everything moved. He was walking, no, the ground was so far away, he couldn't be walking. Something was walking and he was going with it. It moved further into the trees until it reached a familiar pathway and stopped. It stayed there, standing as if on guard. Then the vision went black and for the first time, he could finally feel something and it felt wrong. The mission had failed. He'd lost a crucial part and they needed to start over. He could feel the frustration. Again. Again. They'd start over again._

Erwin sat up with a struggled gasp, taking in deep desperate breaths as if he'd been unable to for too long. Levi was by his side in an instant, hands on his shoulder and chest, and concern written all over his face.

"Erwin. Erwin. Breathe. It was just a dream. You're okay." he tried to soothe him, stroking his cheek now and keeping his voice calm so as not to panic Erwin further.

A dream? It couldn't be. He hadn't had any dreams the other times the day had reset. It had to be about the 32nd time it had reset now. He'd tried so many ideas but all of them had ended in disaster. Dying so often was exhausting, and he still wasn't used to the rush of fear or futility he felt moments before it happened. He didn't want to think about what state he'd be in if he didn't wake up next to a warm, loving, and very much alive Levi after every reset. The question remained though; if that wasn't a dream then what the hell was it? He needed to talk to Hanji.

"Levi, come with me, I need to tell you and Hanji something." Erwin spoke once he'd caught his breath and his heart had stopped pounding so fast.

Once they were in Hanji's lab, it didn't take long to get them up to speed. Since he'd done it so many times now, he knew how best to explain it and get them to understand in the quickest way possible. He'd taken to drawing and writing on Hanji's blackboard to make points clearer. When Erwin had finished, Levi went to his side and pulled him down for a gentle kiss. Levi did this almost every time now. Erwin could tell Levi must know how much pain reliving the massacre of his people was causing him.

"Something different happened this time though." Erwin continued, his arm still around Levi's shoulders, not ready to let him go yet. He explained what he’d seen as best as he could.

"I don't think it was a dream. I think maybe... I saw something through a titan's eyes. It's the only thing that makes sense to me. I was watching the battle through its eyes and then I felt the need to start over. I think it's the titan that's restarting the day. Maybe it has a connection to what's going on without needing to see it itself and when something doesn't go to plan, it resets."

"Why would it reset the day when you die though? Why does it need you?" Hanji asked, trying to work everything out.

"I don't know. It didn't feel like it was looking at anything in particular. I knew it had lost something but there wasn't a clear idea what that was.” Erwin frowned before adding to his theory. “Maybe I've been dragged in by accident. The first time it happened, I was fighting the Beast Titan. Maybe it confused us and it's trying to keep the Beast alive but is resetting for me instead."

Hanji's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant! Do you think you were close enough to the Beast for it to have been unable to separate you?"

"Well, it did step on me, but that can't be it. It would reset for every death around the titan if that were the case. I was covered in the Beast's blood the first time though. Maybe that confused it."

"Did it get into your system?" Hanji was leaning forward, excitement and an idea shining in her eyes.

Erwin thought it over for a moment before nodding. "Possibly. It burnt through my skin, so it could have mixed with my own."

"That's it! That's got to be it! Somehow you got linked into whatever process the Time Titan uses to keep track of its assets. The Time Titan is saving you because it thinks you're one of them."

"Time Titan..." Levi frowned at the name.

The idea of blood linking them was interesting and Erwin thought it over for a minute before he returned to discussing the plan. "Regardless of how this happened, it’s clear what we have to do. We need to kill the Time Titan and then the others, otherwise it will keep resetting."

"I'll come with you." Levi said just before Hanji said the same. "You can't fight it on your own and you stand a better chance of getting there with both of us by your side."

Erwin knew they were right, but he also knew what else it meant. "I've watched you die too many times Levi. No matter where I put you in the field you die, normally at the hands of the Beast Titan. I can't find a way to save you."

"I'm willing to die to protect humanity, you know that. It shouldn't stop you. This could lead to freedom." Levi countered, saying the same things he always did whenever Erwin tried to talk him out of walking straight into certain death.

"You haven't done this before though, right?" Hanji added "It's new. You don't know what will happen."

Erwin nodded but was still worried. He didn't get a chance to say anything more though before Levi spoke again.

"Either I come with you, or I stay and fight here. Whatever happens, I’ll be laying my life on the line. This has a better chance of saving humanity. I want to go with you." Levi stopped, watching Erwin for a few seconds before starting again, having another thought. "How many titans have you killed? In this battle."

Erwin swallowed. It was too hard to slice a titan's neck deep enough in time with only one arm. They all knew that. "None."

"And you want to fight this Time Titan on your own? That’s not happening. We're coming with you." Levi looked stern and something in his face said that he knew he'd won this argument. Erwin wanted to protest but there was no point. Levi was right. He needed them both with him and even if they didn't come, there was still a good chance they'd die on the battlefield outside the wall.

"Okay. You can come. But first," he turned to Levi. "Help me relearn to fight."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short but the good news is the rest of the fic is almost finished! Two more chapters to go.

Erwin trained every day and died every night, reliving the sixth of December over and over until he felt he was ready to face the seventh. It took a long time but eventually he improved to the point of entering the battle and feeling he stood a chance. That meant it was time to try the mission again.

After he woke up on the morning of the sixth again, he immediately got out of bed, surprising Levi. "I need you to follow me." he said as he shoved on his clothes. That was another skill he'd improved; he was far better adjusted to life with one arm now. He'd grown used to Levi's surprised looks every time he got dressed faster than him when he hurried, even with all the straps and buttons.

Once they were with Hanji and he had run through his explanation about the day resetting and the Time Titan, he moved onto their plan. Hanji and Levi both looked shocked by the detail on the board.

"How many times have we done this?" Levi asked, looking horrified.

Erwin stared at him, wanting to avoid the question. "Enough times for me to know what I'm doing."

"How many times, Erwin?" Levi demanded, not accepting the way Erwin had dodged the question.

Erwin knew Levi would hate the truth, but he wasn't going to outright lie to him. "I lost count a long time ago. I don't know the exact number, but I've probably lived this day more than a hundred times."

Something in Levi seemed to break, and then he was wrapped around Erwin, holding him tight. Hanji had gotten up too out of shock, but hadn't come quite as close.

"Erwin..." There was pain in her eyes. He couldn't see Levi's, just the top of his hair where his forehead pressed against Erwin's chest, but he knew there had to be pain there too.

"I'm fine. We can win this, I know it. I will get all three of us through this."

Levi glanced up and both he and Hanji looked like they wanted to say something but Erwin stopped them. "I know what you're thinking, but there's no point in dwelling. Hanji, you're the one that told me this was our chance to turn this war around. And Levi, you're the one that helped me learn to fight again and make it possible. Without either of you I'd be stuck in a loop with no way to get out or win. We can do this together." That seemed to calm them all down and Levi stepped back a little, letting go of Erwin but still hovering close by.

"Okay." Erwin looked at the clock, then at Levi. "You always wake me up just after 5am when the titans arrive, so we need to head out before. I think I know what trees the Time Titan is in - the same forest we chased the Female Titan into - so we'll head there early tomorrow morning and wait. Be ready to leave at 3."

Levi and Hanji nodded their agreement. "Are we bringing anyone else in on this?" Hanji asked.

Erwin thought it over. "Not unless we absolutely have to. I’ll deal with that if it comes to it. For now, this will be best."

"What about the others? You won't be here to lead them when the titans attack." Levi asked.

Erwin had already thought about that and hated knowing what panic it could cause. He never wanted to leave people behind but this mission had priority. He'd become used to making the hard decisions and living with them. "I'll find Armin later and explain." Armin had recently been promoted, as had Mikasa and a few others. They had some new recruits too, so Survey wasn’t too lacking in strength.

They continued going through more ideas relating to their plan, including situations they may end up in. Later on, Erwin called Armin to his office. Hanji had opted to stay in her lab and try to think of more theories about the Time Titan, in case she came up with something important. Levi was refusing to leave Erwin's side again. The more times Erwin had reset, the more often Levi did this. It was only on days where he gave a specific number of resets, rather than ignoring or downplaying it, that Levi stuck so closely to him like this. His presence was a comfort to them both.

Armin looked understandably alarmed as Erwin explained the situation. He didn't give too much detail, saying just that they believed there would be a large scale titan attack tomorrow and that he, Levi and Hanji had an idea that may help humanity and would be pursuing it before the battle began. He left out everything about time resetting. It was vague, he knew, but to Armin's credit he respected the Commander's decision to withhold information and accepted his orders. 

When 2.30am came around, Levi woke Erwin with a kiss. "It's time."

Erwin got up, dread in his stomach but determination in his mind. They would find this titan and kill it. It didn't matter if it took another hundred resets, they would get there.

~

The first time they went, they ran into the army of titans further out. Erwin hadn't expected them to already be organised and assembled further away.

The second time, he tried leaving earlier. He kept moving it earlier until they were leaving when it got dark on the first day. The darker it was when they left, the harder it was for them to get there. There seemed to be more titans active at night than before and they put it down to the Beast and the Time Titan.

The first time they left at 11pm they got as far as the forest but found it full of titans. They were hiding out there before the attack started. Some were dormant but many were not. The Time Titan had to be somewhere among them. They had the slim hope that perhaps it would be inactive during the night and they'd be able to kill it easier than in the day, but after 20+ more resets they still hadn't found it before a titan caught them. There was also the Colossal and Armoured Titans to deal with, who appeared to have the duty of night watch and had caught them by surprise a few times. It was doubly hard for them to fight when they couldn't see. They got further with each reset but not far enough. It was impossible to get through with so many titans.

Erwin had reset around 150 times when he ditched that plan and tried heading to the forest during the battle. The problem with that was that they'd need to escape through the crowd of titans and fighting in order to break away towards the forest. They also needed to do it without the Beast Titan noticing, since Erwin had a feeling he would chase them down if he saw where they were heading. The further they went from that area though, the longer they would have to ride before they could reach the forest and the easier it would be to see them coming. Erwin had gained one advantage though; their many excursions through the forest in the night time while trying to find the Time Titan had improved his ability to remember where the next attack would come from. It meant he could shout out precise directions while also have Levi and Hanji memorise the route beforehand. It was the only reason they'd got a little further into the forest with each reset and it would be vital now. He was confident that given enough time, he could navigate them through the fight and out into the open.

"Keep riding, duck, sharp left, stop, wait for the titan to step by, keep going, Levi take down the titan on the left, keep going, between that titan's legs..." It got more complicated each time but they managed to memorise it.

It didn't matter how many times he saw Levi or Hanji die, the pain never got any less. He woke up screaming most days.

There was one point in their route where four titans came at them at once, and he was stuck. Everything he tried kept resulting in at least one of them dying and he couldn't work around it. He couldn't leave them behind either though. The whole point of this was using the repeating time to their advantage to save humanity, so he wasn't going to give up on saving his friends too.

After the 15th attempt trying to get past that point, Erwin needed a rest. He'd lost count of how many times he'd reset in total but it had to be in the area of 200. 200 times he'd died. Not far off 200 times he'd watched his friends die, his lover die, and they'd hit a block.

He needed a rest. 


	7. Chapter 7

When Erwin woke that morning, he pulled Levi down for a long soft kiss. He was going to spend this day with the man he loved, without either of them suffering. He could have one day off. One day to recover and gather his mental strength.

It was hard work convincing Levi to stay in their room and not force them both out to work. As far as Levi knew, they'd had a regular day yesterday and today, the sixth, they were supposed to finalise the plans for the expedition on the following day. For Erwin to suddenly decide to throw that away and want to waste a whole day in their room, preferably in bed, seemed to come out of nowhere. Somehow it was much harder to convince Levi to have a lazy day than it was to convince him of the existence of a time manipulating titan. Erwin succeeded though, with the promise of doing _some_ work later, and they spent most of the day comfortable in each other's arms, talking, relaxing, napping a little in Erwin's case, and making love. It felt like absolute heaven amongst the hell Erwin had been living. He purposefully didn't mention any of what had been happening to Levi, but it was obvious that Levi knew something had drained him.

"Levi…" Erwin spoke softly. They lay on the bed that evening, Levi curled up next to him, his arm across Erwin's chest and their legs tangled. There was a need filling Erwin and he debated whether now was the right time. It certainly wasn’t the best time to do it, especially as Levi wouldn’t remember it after the next reset, but it felt like something he had to do nevertheless. Erwin linked his fingers with Levi’s and looked at him, eyes full of warmth. "Will you marry me?"

Levi's head shot up at the sudden question. Naturally, he was surprised by the proposal. If he’d planned it, Erwin might have given a speech about how much Levi meant to him, but he wasn’t sure it was really necessary. Levi already knew, of course he did. They didn’t need a big pre-planned proposal to show it. For them, it’d be a miracle if they ever got the chance to settle down and have a ceremony.

Levi’s eyes were a little wide and filled with a mixture of shock and wonder as he scanned Erwin's, before he nodded and answered softly. "Yes."

Joy bloomed within Erwin and he pulled Levi in for an intense kiss. The rest of the evening was spent continuing their little piece of heaven and Erwin’s promise of doing work was forgotten.

When he woke on the sixth again, Erwin felt more prepared to face what was coming next. They could do this, there had to be a way. He started again, diverting from the route he'd been taking before they reached the four titans. It meant a slightly longer journey and more failed attempts at getting through, but eventually he’d get it right.  

After the initial proposal, Erwin found himself asking Levi again and again.

~

_They were fighting their way through the battlefield and Erwin couldn't help thinking how graceful Levi looked as he slaughtered the titans around him. Levi landed on his horse and Erwin called him close. He gave him a quick hard kiss and shouted over the noise of the battlefield to a bloody and adrenaline filled Levi. “Will you marry me?”_

_“Yes!” Levi responded without a second thought before splitting away from him to dodge a titan's arm._

~

_"I love you." was the last thing Erwin heard as Levi died in his arms, the battle still raging on around them. As soon as he woke up he blurted out the question, his mind still stuck in the moment that had only just passed for him. It had startled Levi a little, since he hadn't even noticed Erwin was awake, but once he got over his surprise he smiled warmly._

_"Do you mean it or were you dreaming just then?" Levi asked, putting his book down before leaning in to kiss Erwin._

_"I meant it. Will you marry me?" Erwin wrapped his arms around Levi to keep him close._

_"Yes, I will." Levi replied with a soft laugh and another kiss._

~

_They were stuck on the ground. They both had broken legs, unable to move as Titans ambled towards them to finish them off. Erwin desperately reached out for Levi, linking their fingers tightly and locking their gazes together. Levi hadn’t hesitated as he answered Erwin’s shouted question. “Yes!” Levi shouted back as a large shadow loomed over them. "Promise me, Erwin, when we finally make it through this, you'll ask again. I'll always say yes." Levi hurriedly added before time reset._

~

Eventually, they got through. The route they needed to memorise had become increasingly complex but they did it. All three of them made it out into the open land alive and intact and that was all that mattered.

They raced on towards the forest without looking back. They made it fairly deep before they ran into another titan. It seemed to be just a standard deviant and Hanji dispatched it quickly. They started meeting more and more as they went deeper and, while they could handle it on the ground, they eventually decided to leave their horses in favour of the added safety of the tree tops. The growing amount of titans around had to mean they were getting close.

They had a couple of close calls with the next few titans they met where Erwin thought he might have to reset, but they got by with only a few minor injuries. Hanji and Erwin had several bleeding wounds and Levi had landed too hard on one leg, but it didn’t slow them down enough to change anything. He really didn't want to rest when they were so close to their goal, but he was also aware that if they killed the Time Titan and stopped the resetting after one of them died, they would never come back.

This was the farthest they'd ever come and they weren't going to stop now. When they came across three titans clustered together, they knew they had to be very close. The titans hadn't spotted them so they snuck by, staying out of their notice and higher up in the tree tops. There was a chance the Time Titan might reset if it saw them coming, so they had to be careful.  

They made it past the three titans and onto the trees around a clearing. Inside the clearing sat an unusual titan. It was completely hairless and covered in bare muscle. The titan sat cross legged on the floor, almost looking like it was meditating, except its eyes weren't closed. It didn't have any eyes at all.

This had to be the one. During one of the many times he had explained to Hanji about his vision, she had theorised that perhaps the titan could see through other titans and that's why there hadn't been much sensation associated with it in his vision until he'd felt the need to reset. This development made even more sense as to why the Time Titan wasn't involved in the actual battle. It had no choice but to watch through others instead.

If a surprise attack was going to work they'd only have one shot at this. They spread out, aiming to attack all at once from different directions to give them a better chance. If Hanji was right, and the Time Titan couldn't see unless through another titan's eyes, they'd have a massive advantage, but if not, they still stood a better chance if they all came in at once. There was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind but the end was in sight and he didn’t want to stop now.

Erwin felt like he could barely breathe as they moved in. He knew in reality he was breathing normally, but it felt like everything was frozen and moving too fast all at once. This was it. This was their chance. They had to make it.

The titan's arms started moving as soon as it felt the wires sink into its skin. It was too slow though. Without vision all it could do was guess where they were and they managed to dodge the incoming hands as they rushed towards it. They didn't, however, manage to dodge the Armoured and Colossal Titans in their human forms. The titan shifters swung in and cut off Hanji and Levi, forcing them further into the trees and leaving Erwin alone with the Time Titan.

He should have realised that if the Time Titan couldn’t see, it would have guards close by. He’d rushed right into a trap. At some point during the resets they must have realised that Erwin was trying to reach the Time Titan and lain in wait for him. They didn’t know he’d been trained to fight again though, so it made sense that they’d left him behind while trying to take care of Levi and Hanji. That would be their mistake.

The distraction the two shifters had caused was enough to give the Time Titan the chance to get its hands over its neck. Erwin landed and started slicing at the fingers, trying to keep an eye out for other incoming surprises while trusting Hanji and Levi at the same time.

One moment he was attacking the Time Titan and the next there was a sharp pain in his arm as one of the shifters swung by on 3DMG, leaving a syringe in Erwin’s arm, then heading back into the trees. Erwin immediately pulled the syringe out but felt its disorienting effects instantly. He didn’t know what had been injected into him but he knew it was bad. Something felt wrong and it didn’t take long before he realised what it was. He could feel a void in him that hadn’t been empty before. He realised now that some part of him had felt his connection to the Time Titan, and whatever they’d injected into him had broken that connection. He didn’t know how, but he knew that was what he felt. His death would no longer reset the day. This was their final chance. If they failed now they’d never get another chance. If they died now there was no coming back.

They couldn’t stop though. Not now. They were finally here and they’d never have another chance like this. There was a crack like thunder and Erwin’s stomach dropped as the area filled with steam. A brief glance around confirmed that both the Armoured and Colossal Titans had shifted to their titan forms. The two titans and Levi and Hanji fought their way deeper into the trees and left Erwin where he was.

Erwin turned his attention back to the Time Titan, redoubling his efforts and hacking away, slowly succeeding in breaking through its fingers and getting to nape of its neck. Erwin didn’t hesitate as he plunged his blade in deep, slicing through the muscle. The Titan’s blood spurted out over him, covering and burning him as it met his flesh but he ignored it, focused fully on what they come here to do. The Time Titan let out a roar as it started falling and Erwin leapt free.

There was no doubt he had succeeded in killing the titan as it started disintegrating. There wasn’t any time to enjoy his small victory though as a giant armoured hand came hurtling his way. Erwin managed to swing out of the way on his gear just in time and got into a tree. He tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. Erwin didn’t know whether it had been Levi or Hanji that had been fighting the Armoured Titan, but he knew neither of them would have let it get away by choice. There was no one else around except him and the Armoured Titan. That could only mean it had dealt with whoever had been fighting it.

Seconds later, Hanji came swinging into view, trying to take down the Armoured Titan and dodging an attack from the Colossal Titan following her.

 _Levi_. Where was Levi?

Erwin bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as he jumped back into the fight. He pushed aside his emotions to deal with later and focused on the task at hand. He had to try and get Hanji out of there. They’d succeeded in their mission and there was little to no chance of them taking down both the Armoured and Colossal Titans on their own right now.

Erwin called out to Hanji, commanding her to retreat with him. He watched as she tried to follow the order and make her way to him. He also watched as she misjudged a dodge and got caught by the Armoured Titan’s fist, sending her hurtling in the wrong direction and smashing into a tree with a nauseating crack. She dropped to the ground and Erwin felt sick.

Erwin clenched his fist around the handle of the blade he was holding, tight enough to make his skin bruise and bleed as he tried to force himself not to feel his heartbreak.

He’d lost _Hanji_ and there was no coming back.

Erwin wanted to get her insignia, a habit he’d picked up from Levi who gave them a small burial, but the Armoured Titan had already spotted him and was coming his way.

Erwin needed to find Levi. He had to know what happened to him. He couldn’t leave without knowing. His gut was already telling him it was going to be his worst nightmare, but he had to find out for sure.

‘Please. Please. Please. Please.’ Erwin repeated, not sure or caring if it was aloud or in his head. Part of him was desperate to find Levi alive but his gut was telling him he wouldn’t.

Erwin rushed through the trees with his gear before stopping still on a branch and staring into another clearing ahead. He didn’t move as he heard the titans crashing through the trees as they followed him or as they stopped behind him, an ominous presence waiting to attack.

All Erwin cared about was the body hanging from the tree straight across the clearing from him. The bottom half of Levi was dangling from a branch by the gear at his hips while the rest was crushed into the blood stained tree behind.

Levi was gone, gone forever, and Erwin hadn’t even been there to see it.

The titans were still waiting behind Erwin, almost as if they were curious about what he’d do next.

Erwin should keep going. He knew that. He knew the soldiers back at the wall still needed him and he couldn’t let Levi and Hanji’s sacrifice be in vain by letting himself be killed too. He even knew both Hanji and Levi would be yelling at him to keep going if they knew he was hesitating right now. But they weren’t there anymore.

Erwin leapt off the branch and towards the mangled body. He hadn’t had the chance to grab Hanji’s insignia but he sure as hell wasn’t leaving when he still had the chance to grab something of Levi’s. Erwin managed to get to the insignia and rip it free, gritting his teeth as he got Levi’s blood all over him. The sight would be burned into his memory forever. Nothing would ever make him forget.

The Armoured Titan was moving now. It wasn’t going to let Erwin escape. It moved fast, barrelling towards the tree Erwin was clinging to and breaking straight through it. Erwin got out of the way just in time and started making a break for it through the trees. He went as fast as he could, glad he’d practiced fighting and using the gear so much with Levi during all those resets. That practice time certainly hadn’t been wasted.

There was little to no chance of him getting all the way back to the wall alone. He knew that, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try. While he’d had the power to reset, giving up and letting himself die had been an option but it wasn’t one now. It wasn’t even his own life that he cared about. All he wanted to do was get back to the wall, defend the people, and make sure Levi and Hanji got the respect they deserved.

But that wasn’t going to happen.

The Female Titan appeared before him and caught him in a fist. Erwin had just enough time to have a flash of wonder about how the hell she’d broken free before the fist closed tight, crushing the life out of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter to go!


	8. Chapter 8

Light was the first thing Erwin noticed. It was painfully bright and he had to screw his eyes shut for a moment before forcing himself to blink until his eyes adjusted. The next thing he noticed was heat. There was a comfortable warmth around him and he shifted slightly to investigate what it was. He soon realised it was another body. Erwin sat up, blinking as his vision finally cleared, and looked down at the man next to him. Wonder filled his eyes before it was replaced by pure joy. Levi was next to him, looking up at him with a confused expression.

“Levi…” Erwin whispered, his voice full of awe.

“Yeah… you okay?” Levi sounded concerned as he moved to roll on top of Erwin a little, looking over his face critically, as if he was trying to find some sign of illness to explain Erwin’s unexplained awed expression.

“I’m fine, I’m just… happy to see you.” Erwin spoke softly.

“Were you expecting to wake up with someone else?” Levi asked, raising an eyebrow and straddling Erwin’s hips.

“Not at all.” Erwin replied. _I wasn’t expecting to wake up at all_. The memory of what had happened, of seeing Levi on that tree, and the sight of him alive right now, filled Erwin with a desperate need to be close to him. He pulled Levi in and wrapped his arm tightly around him. Levi made an ‘hmph’ noise of surprise and stilled for a moment before melting and wrapping his arms and legs around Erwin’s back, settling himself comfortably on his lap.

“Nightmare?” Levi asked softly.

“Something like that.” Erwin replied, his voice muffled as he nuzzled his nose against the area between Levi’s neck and shoulder.

As they stayed there, cuddling in the silence, Erwin tried to make sense of the situation. The last thing he remembered was killing the Time Titan, losing Hanji and Levi, and then losing his own life. How had he woken up? Erwin didn’t believe he was in an afterlife and he instantly ruled out the thought that the whole thing had been a horrible nightmare. It was definitely real. Nightmares felt real at the time but once you were properly awake you knew it was just a dream. That hadn’t been a dream.

“What day is it?” Erwin asked, still keeping hold of Levi. When Erwin woke after every reset, Levi was reading a book next to him. He hadn’t been reading a book when Erwin had woken today.

“Tuesday. The fifth.” Levi replied easily, now stroking Erwin’s hair with one hand and his back with the other.

Erwin had been reliving the sixth and seventh. After every reset he woke up on the sixth. He’d never woken up on any other day after a reset. Hadn’t he lost the ability to reset when he’d been injected by the shifter though?

Erwin stiffened suddenly and his eyes widened as realisation hit him. He’d been covered in the Time Titan’s blood when he’d killed it. Its blood had sprayed out over him and he could remember it burning as he hacked away. Could it have mixed with his own again? He’d definitely seen the Time Titan die and the day hadn’t reset then; he’d been able to continue on for a while after that before any reset. So, he didn’t think the Time Titan would still be alive. He didn’t feel like he still had the ability to reset the day either but perhaps… somehow he’d managed to get one last reset out of it? Thanks to the blood?

He’d have to talk to Hanji about it.

“Hanji…” Erwin breathed out, voice full of love. If he and Levi were alive then Hanji must be too. He hadn’t lost them forever after all.

Levi pulled back and looked at him with an expression that was a mixture of confusion and amusement. “If this is you hinting at a threesome again, Hanji’s said she wasn’t interested, remember?”

Erwin laughed, letting his head fall back and joy flow through him.

“No, I-“ If they’d reset, that meant neither of them would remember what Erwin had been going through. Part of him wanted to spare them the pain of knowing what he’d experienced, but he also knew how important it was to their further understanding of the titans. “I’ll explain later.”

It could wait. He pushed it to the back of his mind. He was going to make the most of his victory now and let Levi push him down on the bed.

~

It hadn’t taken long to explain everything to Levi and Hanji. As always, they’d believed him, and Erwin had done his best to stop them feeling his pain. Levi had attached himself to Erwin like he’d done so often before and Hanji had promised to focus her attention on the Beast Titan and on making sure the Female Titan couldn’t get free.

Erwin had spent most of the sixth full of anxiety and unable to calm down. If they’d really succeeded then they would find out tomorrow. The seventh was when the titans always attacked and Erwin had a feeling they wouldn’t if they didn’t have the Time Titan to protect them. Levi kept Erwin distracted as he stayed in his office doing paperwork and trying to avoid people. He didn’t feel up to acting like everything was normal today and he didn’t want to put off any recruits by letting his anxiety show.

When Erwin woke on the seventh it was at 4am and after a nightmare of the Female Titan breaking into the barracks and stealing Levi from Erwin’s bed. Thankfully, Levi was still next to him and fast asleep.

Erwin didn’t bother trying to go back to sleep. If nothing had changed, then the titans would attack in an hour. He got out of bed and put on his gear, just in case. Levi woke while Erwin was fastening his buckles and sat up, blinking at him sleepily. “Erwin?”

“It’s just a precaution.” Erwin reassured him, although he was really trying to reassure himself.

Levi got up anyway and started pulling on his own gear. “Just in case,” he muttered. Erwin was glad for Levi’s support and they sat on the bed, fully dressed and prepared to rush out to battle if necessary. Two hours passed, reaching 6am, and nothing happened. They talked quietly about a lot of things and Erwin filled Levi in on the happier parts of their training sessions during the time loop. He was so grateful for everything Levi had done for him both then and now.

By 6.30 they were leaning against each other with their eyes closed, but still listening out for any sign of trouble. By 7.00 both were asleep and laying on top of each other in awkward positions.

8.30 was greeted with Hanji hammering on their door.

Erwin jumped up, knocking Levi’s head which had been resting on his arm, as he rushed to the door. His heart was racing as he stared at Hanji, whose grin was slowly fading.

“Uh… everything’s fine.” She said, realising that she must have panicked him by knocking so loudly.

“I’ve been up on the wall and heard everyone’s reports. There’s no sign of any unusual titan activity. Erwin, I think we’re okay. You said they’d attacked by now, right? I think you must have beaten it.”

At the news, Erwin’s shoulders dropped and his tension left him. He’d done it. They’d defeated the Time Titan and taken away that part of the titans advantage. There was still so much to do before the war was won, but this was a huge leap forward. He thanked Hanji and promised her a bottle of the best alcohol he could find before he shut the door, turning back to Levi.

Erwin and Levi decided to take a ‘sick day’. They’d catch up on work later but right now Erwin needed to relax and recover from his experience and he needed Levi with him.

They spent the day in their room. Levi left only to bring them both food and insisted Erwin stay and be pampered so he could recover.

When afternoon came, they were settled comfortably on the bed with their backs against the headboard and Erwin’s arm over Levi’s shoulders. Levi had reached up with his left arm to link their fingers together. They spent an hour just taking in each other's presence, and the fact that they were both still alive. They shared quick kisses and closed their eyes, basking in each other's warmth. Gentle caresses and soft ‘I love you’s washed away the pain and replaced it with comfort instead.

As they lay there, Levi humming softly, Erwin felt his heart swell. This was it. This was their real future now. No more resetting. Everything he did now would last. He smiled as he opened his eyes, shifting slightly to get Levi's attention.

Levi opened his eyes to look up at him and gave Erwin's fingers a light squeeze. 

"Levi." Erwin's voice was soft as he moved, pulling his arm back from Levi and kneeling in front of him, still on the bed. He took hold of Levi's left hand and gently rubbed his thumb over Levi's knuckles as he looked him in the eyes. "Ever since you joined Survey we've been through hell together but we made it through. We've gone into every bad situation and come out of it scratched and bruised but stronger. Since the day we first kissed in my office, we've been through heaven together too. Almost all my happiest memories contain you, and a lot of them are just us laying together in peace. I trust you with everything I am, and even when the day was resetting and you had no real proof that any of what I was saying was real, you always followed me and never doubted me. You believed me every single day without fail. I wouldn't have made it here without you. I have no idea how long our lives will be, but I know I want to spend the rest of mine with you."

He intentionally rubbed Levi's ring finger. Levi was looking a little stunned and Erwin could swear Levi's eyes were wetter than usual. "I don't have anything to give you right now, but I can make up for that later." He raised Levi's hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "Will you marry me?"

Levi let out a heavy breath, as if all his emotions were bursting free at once. He gave a few short nods before he could bring himself to speak. "Yes. Yes, of course I will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading!! Thank you especially to my wonderful beta for everything she's done and also to everyone who left comments and kudos.


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